Br. John Berchmans

William  R. Walsh was born on October 14, 1888, the son of John and Josephine  Simmons-Walsh, in St. Paul, Minnesota.   He attended Cretin High School and entered the Juniorate from there on  April 18, 1904.  On September 9th he  received the habit, entered the Novitiate and received the religious name of  Brother John Berchmans.  His first  teaching assignment was at St. Bridget's School in St. Louis, Missouri, and  his continuing tour of duty includes St. Patrick's High School in Chicago,  Illinois; De La Salle High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota; St. Alphonsus -  the Old Rock Commercial Academy in St. Louis; De La Salle High School in  Chicago; Cotter High School in Winona, Minnesota, De La Salle High School in  Joliet, Illinois; Christian Brothers College in Memphis, Tennessee; Cretin  High School in St. Paul; De La Salle High School in Kansas City Missouri;  Christian Brothers College in St. Joseph, Missouri, and St. Thomas High  School in Rockford, Illinois, where he was the first and only Director.  He also served as Director at Cotter High  School and at Cretin High School.  He  received his B.A. in 1909 and his M.A. in 1925.  Brother John built one of the first, and  certainly one of the most powerful, short wave stations west of the  Mississippi River at CBC, St. Louis.   He is credited with installing the practice of printed Daily  Bulletins, Attendance Bulletins, and the use of attendance cards in the  Brothers' schools in the Midwest.  He  was a noted mathematician, chemist, engineer, and physicist in the  District.  He died at age seventy-two  of a heart attack, having been a De La Salle Christian Brother for fifty-six  years.